TASC
Diversion Program

The
TASC concept was developed in 1972 in response to the tremendous
burden the drug-involved offender placed on the criminal justice
system. TASC has expanded to more than 168 TASC programs at
130 sites in 22 States and 1 territory, some states with both
juvenile and adult programs.

The program was built on the premise that a more productive
method could be developed to manage the drug-involved offender
population rather than to incarcerate them and impose other
previously used criminal justice sanctions. To further this
end, TASC employs through assessment, appropriate treatment
referral, and a structured course of monitoring and drug testing
combined with drug treatment. Through effective intervention,
TASC works to break the cycle of drug use, crime, arrest, prosecution,
incarceration, release, and persistent drug use. The TASC concept
of drug offender identification, assessment, referral to treatment,
and overall drug offender management has proven to be an effective
means of intervening in the cycle of drug use and criminal behavior.

The development of the TASC critical elements training in 1986
structured and defined the TASC concept. The TASC critical elements
training comprise support of justice, support of treatment,
TASC administrative unit, staff training, data collection and
evaluation, eligibility criteria, client identification, assessment
and referral, urinalysis, and case management. These 10 elements
have proven effective for the successful implementation and
operation of TASC.

The TASC critical element training course teaches the fundamentals
of the TASC concept for each element as well as other relevant
concepts such as confidentiality. The goal of the course is
to furnish staff with the understanding of the philosophy, purpose,
and operation of the TASC model.